The question is also ,Is anything ever really authentic? Is Adinkra
printing today the same as it was a hundred years ago, even in
Africa?
Are we/they growing the plants to make the dyes. It is rather an
opportunity to open a culture up to someone from another land. By
showing customs, beliefs, natural resources etc. Explaining that
they are using their natural resources(which may always change) One
thing different cultures have in common is, adapting their customs
and rituals to modern times. Even in the rain forest you can spot a
sport t shirt. I did a native project with my son a few weeks ago
and the boys of this tribe had incorporated Coffee lids as a base
for their dance fans. I think especially in modern times with
outside influences, many cultures have learned to incorporate the
new generations wants and mixed them with old tradition. It keeps
more new people from leaving the tribe and at the same time creates
new tradition. I too have used the African seed bean masks and
altered it with a cardboard base, I even put in dried
corn husks(tamale wrappers) around the top of the mask. It's not
authentic African, but I was making tamales and thought it is a
plant,let's show that we can incorporate our individualism in the
project. I did show many slides(about 20) of the actual process in
Africa of the making of Adinkra cloth, making the stamps out of
their veg/gourd. How they made the paints etc. I had over 60 slides
to choose from. Even today they use the prints on everyday clothes
and have modernized what was once left for rituals.
I also think the lesson depends on the child's age. You
could
incorporate making natural dyes out of plants with older kids and
pseudo
dying with younger grades, just depends on time allowed, funding and
age.

Sandra

Maahmaah wrote:
How do you rationalize teaching kids about other> cultures using materials that are very far removed from the actual art >or craft of that culture? Using pizza cardboard and
brown paper for >shields or> milk jugs for African masks, etc. This question is not a criticism to> anybody, so please do not be offended or feel you have to defend yourselves to> me.
Sandra Barrickastroboyhttp://home.fuse.net/astroboy